Valve for pressure control systems



Sept. 16, 1952 LEMOS, JR 2,610,822

VALVE FOR PRESSURE CONTROL SYSTEMS yr Original Filed June 2, 1947 Patented Sept. 16, 1952 VALVE FOR PRESSURE CONTROL SYSTEMS p 7 Albert Lemos, Jr.,-Hinsdale, Ill., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Continuation of application Serial No. 751,661,

June 2, 1947. Serial No. 231,547

This invention generally relates to pressure control systems and more particularly to protective valve means in such systems to provide safe operation thereof.

This application is a continuation of my copending application Serial No. 5 the remote ends of the coupled systems are shown 751,661, filed June 2, 1947, now abandoned. closed. p v The principal object of the invention'is to pro- An engineers valve I3 is shown in the air vide in a pressurescontrol system simple protecbrake and control systems of the end locomotive tivevalve 'means acting automatically to cutoff units serving as the control units and provided abnormal pressure flow due to excessive leakage with conventional master controllers, not shown, therefrom, said protective valve 'means being for the power plant control apparatus. The automatically restored to a normally open proengineer's valve I3 is shown in a third branch tective position when normal conditions are repipe connection leading from theair reservoir '3, stored in the system. g which connection is'shown connected to a brake Another object is to provide valve means ina pipe I5 and also includes a check valve I1 and pressure control system whereby other similar an auxiliary air pressure'reservoir Ill, The check systems may be connected and safely controlled valve II permits one-way flow of air' 'pre'ssure in multiple therewith or individually in case of from the main reservoir 3 to theauxiliary'r'eseraccidental disconnection and to provide prompt voir I9. The ends of brake pipes I501 the 1000'- pressure' equalization between the connected sysmotive units are shown provided withangle shuttems I: v 2 a I Y v oiT cocks 2| and hoses 23 shown coupling the adj- The means by which the above objects are objacent ends of the brake pipes. The intermediate tainedwill become apparent by reference to the units not provided with master controllers and following description and drawing showing one engineer's valves serve as booster -units. Each form of my protective valve means, included in an 25 locomotive unit is provided with'automatic air air brake and control system for which thisvalve brake equipment of conventional type and all but means is particularly adapted for locomotive the end angle cocks 2I in the brake pipes I5-are units which are controlled and operated singly shown in the open position with the hoses 23 at Orin 1tip1e coupled relation, the adjacent ends coupled. The angle cocks'fZI Figure 1- is a schematic view ofa plurality of at theremote ends'of the brake pipes are closed locomotive unit air brake and power control sysuntil one end of the coupled locomotive brake tems coupled together, each system including pipes I5 are coupled by means of a hose-23 to the individual protective valve means. train brake p p t shown; t r wh -th Figure 2isan enlarged vertical-cross sectional adjacent cock 23 is opened so that the brakes elevational viewof one of the protective valve of the c upled locomotives and train may teapmeans s hown in Figure 1. V plied and released by operation of eitherengi- 4 As best illustrated in Figure 1 eachof the air eer's valves I3 and automatically applied upon brake and control systems for each, of four locoparting of the brake pipe hoses I5 in convenmotive units includes an air compressor I shown tional manner- I Y connected by means of a pipe connection to one 0 As best illustrated in Figu fp 'otective end of a main pressure reservoir 3. Three pipe Valve means 5 Comprises a hollow Valve y! connections are shown leading from the other having upper and lower ed Opening-519%. end of each of the reservoirs 3. p Th pipe con- The lower threaded opening 3| is connect'e d'to nection 4 leads to air pressure operated power main reservoir 3 and the pp i eded plant control mechanism of the locomotiveunit, Ope is co nected to the mainreservoir not shown, which mechanism is controlled equalizing p pe Avalve seat 33 inclinedtdthe through suitable interconnected train line jconvertical axis is provided in th dy be ween the trol connections to a manually operable master openings 29-3I. A horizontal pivot pin 35 is so;- controller, not shown, for controlling the speed, cured in the body directly below the upper'porload and output coupled locomotive unitsfin tion of the inclined valve seat 33 and a "valve multiple or individually in conventional manner. h ad 31 having a Small equalizing passage 33 ex}- Another branch pipe connection from the res'ertending therethrough and central stud II is voir 3 is shown including protective valve means, shown extending through anopening in'the'lower generallyindicated at 5, and connected to a reserend of a leaf supporting spring 43"-by' means to! voirequalizing pipe I provided with angle shuta washer l5 and nut I! on the outer en d oi'the 3 Claims. (01. 251-) This application June 14, 1951,

off cocks 9, and air hoses II at the ends thereof. The angle cocks 9 at the adjacent ends of the equalizing pipes 1 are opened after the hoses II :are coupled, as shown, and thea'ngle cocks 3 at stud 4|. The upper end of the leaf spring 43 is loosely wrapped around the pivot pin 35 so that the valve head 31 and spring 43 is pivotally suspended on the pivot pin 35 and the nut 41 normally rests on the inner end of a positioning stud 49 threaded in:the valve body 21. A washer 5| of proper thickness is placed under. the head of the stud 49 to position the valve head 3'! and spring 43 so that normal flow of equalizing air pressure in either direction past the head causes no movement thereof but upon abnormal flow of equalizing air pressure upwardly past the head from the reservoir 3 to the reservoir equalizing pipe 1 the head and spring are swung upwardly into seating relation with the seat 33 to cut ofi abnormal flow and allow only a restricted flow through the small equalizin passage 39 in the head 31. It will be noted that when the valve head 31 is seated the pressure on the lower face causes the spring 43 to be bent, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 2, so that upon a given difference in pressure on opposite faces of the head it will be moved off the seat by the spring 43 and fall by gravity to thefull line position shown in Figure 2.

With each air brake and control system provided with protective valve means 5 and ,connected as described above it will be evidentthat two-way normal flow of equalizing air pressure through the coupled equalizing pipes 1, protective valve means- 5 and reservoirs 3 is permitted as the valve heads 31 of the protective means 5 are gravity retained in the normal unseated position. Should, however, an equalizing pipe 1 or connecting hose I I break or should the hoses II become uncoupled abnormal leakage of air pressure will occur and the resulting rush of air upwardly through each of the protective means 5 will cause seating of the heads (Won the seats 33 to then allow escape of only a restricted amount of air through the equalizing passages 33 in the heads 31 from the reservoirs 3. -The compressors lare capable of maintaining normal operating pressure in the reservoir '3 over and above the amount escaping through the valve head equalizing passage 39 thereby providing normal manual control of the. power and air brake equipment of the coupled locomotives. Should the locomotive brake pipes l5 or thoseof the cars hauled thereby become uncoupied the brakes on the locomotives and cars will be automatically applied in conventional manner and if one or more lead locomotive units break away from the following units of the train'the protective means provides normal manual control of the power and brake equipment of the disconnested leading units so that the brakes may be released and the power and speed increased to prevent these units from being overtaken by the train.

It will likewise be evident upon repair of the break in the equalizing pipe I or shutoff of pressure escaping through the normally open angle cocks ll either side of. the uncoupled hoses II' that pressure equalization through the equalizpassages 39 in the seated valve heads 31 will take place. Upon equalization of pressure of opposite faces of the valve heads to a value where the bent valve head supporting springs 43 overcomes the preselected pressure difference on the opposite faces the heads 31 will be urged 01!,the seats by the then bent supporting springs 43 and. the heads will thenbe automatically returned by gravity to the normal open position and rest on the positioning studs 49. .;With the valve head 31 secured to a leaf sprin 4 43 in the above described manner and the spring bent upon full seating engagement of the valve, restricted flow through the equalizing passage 39 in the valve head takes place from a fully charged reservoir 3 on one locomotive unit to an empty reservoir 3 on another locomotive unit by way of the equalizing pipes I and hose connections ll interconnecting these locomotive units. When the pressure differential on opposite sides of the valve decreases to a value at which the bent spring 43 cracks the valve head off the seat and the head is in engagement with only a portion of the seat a more rapid flow of equalizing air takes place past the valve head from the fully charged reservoir to the reservoir being charged and the pressure will promptly rise to substantially the same value as that in the fully charged reservoir. This causes the rate of flow past the valve head to decrease and the valve head and spring will then be automatically returned by gravity to the normal open position to provide unrestricted two-way normal flow between the reservoirs. The protective valve means 5 accordingly provides two rates of restricted oneway equalizing air flow and unrestricted twoway flow of equalizing air therethrough.

' Similar operation of the protective valve means 5 on a single locomotive unit will take place upon breakage of the equalizing pipe I or inadvertent opening of an angle shutoff cock 9 followed by repair of the break or closure of the cock.

I claim:

1. An equalizer valve for fluid brake systems of multi-unit locomotives comprising, a valve body having a through passage including an annular seat, a pivot at one side of said seat adiacent one edge thereof, a flat spring member swingably mounted on said pivot and forming a valve head support, a valve head having a restricted passage therethrough and so secured to said member as to be capable of a two-step seating operation in response to fluid pressure in the first of which the head swings about said pivot to angularly engage said seat to restrict the flow through said passage and in the second of which said spring member flexes to permit full seating of the head on said seat to confine the flow to said restricted passage in said head, and adjustable means for positioning said head in predetermined gravity-biased position away from said seat to vary the response pressure thereof.

2. An equalizer valve for fluid brake systems of multi-unit locomotives comprising a valve body havin a through passageway including an annular seat inclined to the axis of said passageway, a pivot in said body located in a plane parallel to'one side of said seat and adjacent one edge of said seat, a leaf spring support swingably mounted on said pivot and a valve head having a restricted passage extending therethrough and secured to said leaf spring to one side of said pivot for movement by fluid flow through said passageway into angular contact with said seat to restrict fluid flow and to bend said spring to then cause full seating engagement of said head on said seat to further restrict fluid flow by the passage in said head.

3. An equalizer valve for fluid brake systems of multi-unit locomotives comprising a valve body having a through passageway formed therein and including an annular valve seat extending across said passageway, a pivotal support in said body and located adjacent one edge 5 of said seat, a spring mounted on said support and having a valve head rigidly secured thereto, said spring and valve being movable by gravity about said support to swing said valve to open position in said body, said support being positioned with respect to said annular seat to prevent complete closing of said valve upon said seat and in response to the flow of fluid in said passageway without bending said spring, and a restricted passageway extending through said valve, said restricted passageway being adapted to permit the flow oi fluid through said valve:

when said valve is completely closed upon said' seat, saidspring when bent by the closing 0; said valve upon said seat being energized to tilt said valve with respect to said seat to Permit the further opening of said valve by gravity when the flow of fluid through said restricted passageway falls below a predetermined vai-lue:

ALBERT LEMOS, JR;

No references cited. 

